Is coffee considered an appetite suppressant?

June 9. 2022

Millions of people start their day with a single thought on their mind: a cup of coffee. While most of us simply enjoy its wonderful taste and benefit from the energy kick we get afterward, it’s now evident that coffee brings numerous health benefits when consumed in moderation. One of such benefits is still to be studied enough before being confirmed, but many of us will agree it’s real: coffee as an appetite suppressant.

Coffee benefits for weight loss

As mentioned earlier, coffee doesn’t only provide you with a nice energy kick; it brings several other benefits to your health. Moreover, this tasty beverage can be your weight loss companion when consumed in moderation and without high-calorie additions. As you probably know, too much sugar, milk, whipped cream, or artificial sweeteners and syrups can turn this amazing drink into something you’d be better off without. Therefore, we suggest you find a way to enjoy its bitterness moderately and reap all its fantastic pros for your weight loss:

Metabolism boost

By now, everyone knows how big of an impact your metabolism function has on your weight. If it’s slow or out of balance by any means, you can’t expect it to burn calories and fat as you expect it to. Moreover, it’s entirely natural for your metabolism to slow down as you age, so it requires a little boost every now and then to work at its peak. Well, coffee is one of the ways you can boost your metabolism; still, it’s good to know that a decaf won’t provide you with this benefit. Caffeine is a stimulant, so it accelerates your metabolism, which leads to increased calorie and fat burning, healthier BMI, and ultimately weight loss.
If you’re not a coffee fan, you may also get these benefits by taking caffeine pills; however, you’ll miss out on some other advantages coffee beans can bring, such as antioxidants, Vitamin B3 and Vitamin B5.

Suppressing hunger hormones

Whether coffee is an appetite suppressant has been a burning topic for a while now. While some experts entirely dismiss any appetite-suppressing benefits coffee might have, others argue it actually helps them stay full between meals. Unfortunately, solid evidence has still not been found to confirm either of these theories, but that shouldn’t stop you from enjoying a couple of cups a day and seeing how your body reacts.
One study found that a cup of coffee a day may decrease your ghrelin levels. Ghrelin is known as the hunger hormone since it triggers the feeling of hunger, and as you may assume, the more it’s produced – the hungrier you are. This study confirmed that its participants reduced their daily calorie intake and felt more full during the course of the study, which lasted four weeks.
It’s also worth mentioning that appetite suppression strongly depends on the neurotransmitter functions in your brain. If you’ve wondered which two neurotransmitters have roles in appetite suppression, you’ll be happy to find out that dopamine is one of them. Although coffee doesn’t increase its levels, it does make your brain more sensitive to dopamine, which can ultimately lead to more extended periods of satiety.

Source of polyphenols

Coffee is rich in polyphenols, a type of antioxidants. As you may already know, plant-based foods are rich in antioxidants, and coffee is no exception. Polyphenols help introduce the good bacteria in your gut, particularly ones that have weight-lowering properties. Moreover, these antioxidants can help keep your blood vessels flexible and healthy, promote circulation and manage blood pressure levels.

L carnitine coffee weight loss

You’ve probably heard a thing or two about L carnitine, most likely in terms of a workout supplement. However, this unique amino acid derivative is not reserved for gym-goers only. In fact, its primary role in your body is to oxidize fatty acids in the mitochondria, which leads to energy production. Simply put, it helps your body utilize fatty acids by extracting them from your bloodstream and preventing them from being stored.
L carnitine can be found in certain foods, such as fish, poultry, and dairy products, but it’s often taken in the form of supplements. Moreover, people started adding it to their coffee – for a few great reasons. To begin with, L carnitine synergizes with numerous ingredients found in coffee and ensures a faster yet more stable energy source. Although coffee itself gives you energy, we all know how it can come with a few downsides, such as the unpleasant jitters or that unwanted energy drop soon after the initial kick. L carnitine helps prevent such downsides and provides a more stable and long-lasting energy source. Another plus is there are no excess calories, unlike when you consume food, so there’s nothing left to get stored as fat.
If you genuinely wish to increase your L carnitine intake, it’s good to know that it will absorb better and faster if you add it to your coffee. That way, you’ll get a smaller, more adequate dose with each sip, and you won’t have to wait several hours for it to complete the digestion process, as you would if you chose to get your daily L carnitine dose from red meat, for example.

Which coffee should you have to suppress your appetite and lose weight?

As mentioned earlier, not all coffees were created equal. To reap all the advantages we listed above, it would be best if you had your coffee plain and black. Every ingredient you add can decrease its positive effects on your body. Thankfully, there are numerous ways to prepare this beverage, and weight loss specialists in Chicago suggest you start exploring different brewing methods until you find the one that works for you.

If you still can’t handle the taste, you can lightly sweeten it using fruit or plant-based sweeteners and sugar alcohols. You can gradually reduce the amount of sweetener you add to your coffee until you can enjoy it as is. When it comes to milk, it’s advisable to stick to sugar-free plant-based milk or whole milk in moderation. Too much milk in your coffee can turn this healthy drink into a high-calorie bomb that’s far from an appetite suppressant. If you’re used to having a large, fancy, and super sweet coffee beverage every day, we suggest you skip them altogether or have them occasionally as a sweet treat.

Coffee side-effects you should be aware of

Even the most passionate coffee lovers know that you can have too much of a good thing. A safe caffeine dose for adults is up to 400mg a day, which equals about four cups. Still, this is not true for everyone – if you notice any side effects, make sure to lower your dose. It’s also good to know that your body completely absorbs caffeine within 45 minutes after consumption. That means you should spread your coffee cups evenly throughout the day. Going above the recommended caffeine intake can cause several negative effects, such as:

Anxiety

Coffee increases alertness, but it may also lead to nervousness or anxiety. This beverage can also increase your heartbeat, so if you genuinely have troubles with these issues, we suggest you keep your caffeine intake low.

Insomnia

Most of us praise coffee for helping us stay awake during the day, but this benefit can turn into a downside for some people. Higher caffeine doses can lead to trouble falling asleep or even shorten the time you stay asleep.

Digestive issues

Many people have their morning coffee because it helps regular bowel movements. However, going overboard with your daily intake may cause unpleasant symptoms such as loose stool or diarrhea.

Addiction

If you’re a coffee drinker and tried to stop consuming caffeine at some point in your life, you likely experience symptoms such as headaches or fatigue. Unfortunately, those were real; coffee can cause psychological and physical addiction, especially if consumed in high doses.

Frequent urination

Coffee is a well-known diuretic, which means it supports the removal of water from your body. That may be beneficial when trying to lose weight, but frequent urination can be unpleasant for some people. Moreover, too much coffee can lead to dehydration, so it’s essential to ensure enough water intake.

Fatigue

Although coffee is meant to energize you, it has to leave your system at one point. After that happens, you’re likely to start feeling tired and reach for another cup to fight the fatigue. To prevent this symptom, try to distribute your caffeine intake evenly throughout the day, and opt for smaller doses with each cup.

Final thoughts

Although we still can’t firmly conclude that coffee acts as an appetite suppressant, most of us have undoubtedly experienced the advantages this beverage has in keeping us satiated between meals. Once again, it’s best to stick to your favorite black coffee when trying to lose weight; adding too much sugar and milk not only increases your daily calorie intake but also puts you at risk of imbalanced sugar levels that can cause the unwanted hunger spikes. If you’re interested in other appetite suppressant options, don’t hesitate to get in touch with us.

Author

Nurse Walton

Born and raised in Chicago, IL, Chanay received her Practical Nurse licensure and went to work in clinical specialties such as Home Health, Assisted Living, Long-Term Care and Dialysis Centers. Through this work, she realized the importance of diet, nutrition and weight loss among her patients. This led her to open A Better Weigh, Inc. Medical Weight Loss Center in 2009.